Location based third party notification

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of the present invention provides methods, computer program products, and a system for determining a set of potential responders to alert a second party regarding an urgent communication. Embodiments of the present invention can be used to determine if a missed communication placed by a first party to a second party is an urgent communication. Embodiments of the present invention can be used to determine a set of potential responders based, at least in part, on a variety of possible locations of a communication device belonging to the second party.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates generally to the field of mobile devices,and more particularly to generating emergency notifications for mobiledevices.

Mobile devices such as cellular phones and smart watches serve as amulti-functional tool in communications such as short message service(SMS), multimedia message service (MMS), email, Internet access, shortrange wireless communication, as well as the ability to make or receivephone calls. Prior to a mutual communication link being establishedbetween two parties, a first party alerts a second party thatcommunication is being attempted. This alert can be in a form of amobile device ringing or vibrating. The second party establishes amutual communication link with the first party once the second partybecomes aware of the alert and confirms the mutual communication link byanswering the call or by communicating through an alternative means. Ifthe second party fails to respond to the alert, then the first party caneither attempt to establish communications using the same method again,attempt a different method of communication from the methods listedabove, or leave a voicemail for the second party to receive at a latertime.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present invention disclose a method, a computerprogram product, and a system for determining a set of potentialresponders to alert a second party regarding an urgent communication. Inone embodiment of the present invention, a method is providedcomprising: determining a mutual communication link was not establishedfor a communication between a first electronic device and a secondelectronic device, wherein the first electronic device is associatedwith a first user and the second device is associated with a seconduser; determining the communication between the first electronic deviceand the second electronic device is abnormal; estimating a set ofpossible locations for the second electronic device; and determining aset of potential responders to alert the second user based, at least inpart, on the set of possible locations for the second electronic device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of communications environment, in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart depicting operational steps for delivering anurgent communication to an unavailable second party, in accordance withan embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart depicting operational steps of determining anurgent communication, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart depicting operational steps of determining a setof potential responders, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 5 is a screen shot example of an interactive graphical userinterface for an urgent application, in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present invention; and

FIG. 6 depicts a block diagram of components of the computing systems ofFIG. 1, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present invention recognize that in some situationsit is inconvenient or impossible to access a communication device. Forexample, it can be difficult for a user to use a communication devicewhile doing physical activities or activities that would endanger thedevice (e.g. swimming), or in the event that the device becomes disableddue to technical issues. Additionally, there exists alerting devicesthat alert a user of an attempted communication, such as pagers andsmart watches, which require having the alerting device on person at alltimes and that the alerting device is sufficiently charged. In the eventa communication device or an alerting device is unavailable, importantmessages that require immediate attention could be missed.

Embodiments of the present invention provide solutions for improvingcommunication alert systems. As described in greater detail later inthis specification, embodiments of the present invention can be used togenerate a notification and alert a user of an urgent communicationwithout the communication device of the user. For example, embodimentsof the present invention can relay an urgent communication between afirst party and a second party based, at least in part, on the locationof the second party. Implementation of embodiments of the invention maytake a variety of forms, and exemplary implementation details arediscussed subsequently in the specification with reference to theFigures.

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating a communicationsenvironment, generally designated 100, in accordance with one embodimentof the present invention. FIG. 1 provides only an illustration of oneimplementation and does not imply any limitations with regard to theenvironments in which different embodiments may be implemented. Manymodifications to the depicted environment may be made by those skilledin the art without departing from the scope of the invention as recitedby the claims.

Communications environment 100 includes server computer 102, mobiledevice 104, unavailable device 106, responder device 108, allinterconnected over network 110. Server computer 102, mobile device 104,unavailable device 106, and responder device 108 can each be astandalone computing device, a management server, a web server, a mobilecomputing device, or any other electronic device or computing systemcapable of receiving, sending, and processing data. In otherembodiments, server computer 102, mobile device 104, unavailable device106, and responder device 108 can each represent a server computingsystem utilizing multiple computers as a server system, such as in acloud computing environment. In another embodiment, server computer 102,mobile device 104, unavailable device 106, and responder device 108 caneach be a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a netbook computer, apersonal computer (PC), a desktop computer, a personal digital assistant(PDA), a smart phone, or any programmable electronic device capable ofcommunicating with various components and other computing devices (notshown) within communications environment 100 via network 110. In anotherembodiment, server computer 102, mobile device 104, unavailable device106, and responder device 108 each represent a computing systemutilizing clustered computers and components (e.g., database servercomputers, application server computers, etc.) that act as a single poolof seamless resources when accessed within communications environment100. In some embodiments, server computer 102 and mobile device 104 area single device. Server computer 102, mobile device 104, unavailabledevice 106, and responder device 108 may include internal and externalhardware components capable of executing machine-readable programinstructions, as depicted and described in further detail with respectto FIG. 4.

Server computer 102, mobile device 104, unavailable device 106, andresponder device 108 each include a respective instance of an urgentprogram (e.g., urgent programs 112A-D) and a respective instance of adatabase (e.g., databases 114A-D). For example, server computer 102includes urgent program 112A and database 114A. Mobile device 104includes a separate instance of the urgent program and database,designated urgent program 112B and database 114B, while unavailabledevice 106 and responder device 108 includes urgent program 112C anddatabase 114C, and urgent program 112D and database 114D, respectively.

In general, server computer 102, mobile device 104, unavailable device106, and responder device 108 each facilitate communications between anumber of mobile devices for the purposes of generating and sendingurgent communications to unavailable users. For illustrative purposes,the following discussion is made with respect to mobile device 104 asbeing the device for the first party, unavailable device 106 as beingthe device for the second party, and responder device 108 as being thedevice of the third party, it being understood that any of the devicesmentioned can function as a mobile device, an unavailable device, and aresponder device that can communicate with other devices that are notshown. Stated another way, a mobile device described above can become anunavailable device when the user of the mobile device fails to respondto a message. Alternatively, a mobile device can become a responderdevice when the user of the mobile device responds to a request fromurgent program 112.

In general, urgent program 112A is a program capable of determining acommunication status of a communication, and relaying an urgentcommunication as a potential responder notification to a set ofpotential responders within a range based, at least in part, on anestimated location of a mobile device of the second party. In oneembodiment, urgent program 112A may be an application, downloaded froman application store or a third-party provider. Urgent program 112A isdepicted and described in further detail with respect to FIG. 2.

As used herein, a communication can be in the form of, but is notlimited to, a phone call, a voice mail, a short message service (SMS),or a multimedia message service (MMS). As used herein, a communicationincludes any mutual communication link established between mobile device104 and unavailable device 106, and any failed attempts by mobile device104 to initiate a mutual communication link due to unavailable device106 being ignored by the second party, due to unavailable device 106being powered off, or due to unavailable device 106 being locatedoutside the functional range of a platform carrying network 110. As usedherein, a mutual communication link is a state of communication betweentwo parties where the two parties are sending and receivingcommunications from the other party. For example, a mutual communicationlink occurs when a first party is able to send a first communication toa second party, the second party is able to receive the firstcommunication, the second party is able to send a second communicationin response to the first communication, and the first party is able toreceive the second communication.

As used herein, a communication status is a designation of acommunication that identifies whether the communication is urgent ornot, and is based, at least in part, upon a set of communication logsbetween a first and a second party as described in greater detail laterin the specification. In one embodiment, urgent program 112 determines acommunication status of a communication sent by a first party via mobiledevice 104 when mobile device 104 is unable to establish a mutualcommunications link with a second party via unavailable device 106. Forexample, a first party attempts to call a second party from mobiledevice 104 to unavailable device 106, but the second party does notanswer the call. Urgent program 112A then determines the communicationstatus of the missed phone call from the first party.

In this embodiment, urgent program 112 estimates a set of locations foran unavailable device (e.g., unavailable device 106), determines a setof potential responders within a range using the estimated set oflocations, and issues a potential responder notification to the set ofpotential responders, via responder device 108, to enable the thirdparty to identify and alert the second party of the urgent communicationas described in greater detail later in the specification. A range, asused herein, is a radius distance measured from a location thatfunctions as a center. For example, urgent program 112A determines alocation for unavailable device 106 and a range is 500 meters. Urgentprogram 112A determines that users within 500 meters of the determinedlocation of unavailable device 106 are a set of potential responders.

As used herein, a first party is a user of mobile device 104 who sends acommunication via mobile device 104 to unavailable device 106. In thisembodiment, the communication sent by a first party may or may not causeunavailable device 106 to issue an alert to the second party, whereinthe alert issued by unavailable device 106 is a mode of gaining theattention of a second party. For example, an alert can be, but is notlimited to, a ring, a user selected ringtone, a buzz, or a vibration.

As used herein, a second party is a user of unavailable device 106. Inthis embodiment, the second party is always unavailable for the purposesof this discussion, and may be unavailable for any variety of reasons.For example, a second party can fail to acknowledge an alert when thesecond party is away from unavailable device 106, or when unavailabledevice 106 is turned off, is lacking power to operate, or is on silentmode such that unavailable device 106 can receive communications but thealerts are disabled.

As used herein, a third party is a user of responder device 108. A thirdparty is a user that has urgent program 112D installed on responderdevice 108, is not a first party or second party, and is determined byurgent program 112D to be within a range of an estimated location ofunavailable device 106. A third party is also commonly referenced as apotential responder or a responder. A potential responder is a user ofresponder device 108 that urgent program 112D selects as a proxy whowill potentially relay an urgent communication to a second party. Aresponder is a user of responder device 108, and is someone whosuccessfully relays an urgent communication to the second party.

Database 114A is a repository for data used by urgent program 112A.Database 114A can be implemented with any type of storage device capableof storing data and configuration files that can be accessed andutilized by server computer 102, such as a database server, a hard diskdrive, or a flash memory. Database 114A stores a set of communicationlogs that correspond to phone calls and text messages between mobiledevice 104 and unavailable device 106, wherein the set of communicationlogs can include, but is not limited to, a communication timestamp of acommunication between the first and the second party, and content of thecommunication (e.g., recorded speech of a voicemail, the written textcontained in a SMS or MMS, etc.) For example, database 114 stores a listof application users that contains, at least, contact information thatallows communication to responder device 108 corresponding to a set ofapplication users (e.g., a phone number to reach responder device 108, alink to a social media account of the application user) that areregistered to participate as a potential responder, and a currentlocation of responder device 108 corresponding to the set of applicationusers. Database 114A stores a range corresponding to an urgentcommunication. Database 114A also stores a default range, wherein thedefault range is a predetermined range. Other instances of database 114Acan be created to have local instances of database 114A on user devices(e.g., mobile device 104, unavailable device 106 and responder device108).

Mobile device 104, unavailable device 106, and responder device 108 eachinclude respective urgent programs (e.g., urgent programs 112B-D) anddatabases (e.g., databases 114B-D). In this embodiment, urgent programs112B-D and database 114B-D are part of an urgent application, designatedurgent applications 116B-D, respectively. In general, an urgentapplication (e.g., urgent application 116B-D) is a program serving as anoperating platform for urgent program 112A, and provides a userinterface for mobile device 104, unavailable device 106, and responderdevice 108. In this embodiment, an urgent application (e.g., urgentapplication 116B) may be an application, downloaded from an applicationstore or a third-party provider. For example, a user downloads theurgent application (e.g., urgent application 116B), which includes aninstance of urgent program 112A (e.g., urgent program 112B), onto mobiledevice 104. At a later time, the user attempts to call a friend usingmobile device 104, but the call is missed. As a result of the call beingmissed, urgent program 112B is triggered, determines the call is urgent,and sends a potential responder notification to a set of potentialresponders. The user can then manage the potential respondernotification using urgent application 116B to customize a message to beincluded with the potential responder notification, monitor the statusof the potential responder notification (e.g., monitor time elapsedsince the missed call), monitor the status of urgent program 112B whileit determines a set of potential responders (e.g., the user can monitorhow far the range is currently set), and can allow the user to terminatethe operations carried out by urgent program 112B by confirming thefriend is now able to communicate with the user, or the user simplywishes to cancel the operations carried out by urgent program 112B(e.g., the user decides the phone call was not urgent).

In another example, a user has a phone that has urgent application 116Dinstalled, and the phone receives a potential responder notification.Urgent application 116D serves as an interface for the user by providingdetails of the potential responder notification, and monitor the statusof other active potential responder notifications the user may havereceived. In another embodiment, urgent application 116D can function asa stand-alone operating platform that communicates with urgent program112A.

In another embodiment, urgent application 116B-D generates respectivelya user interactive interface for mobile device 104, unavailable device106, and responder device 108 to allow a user to interact with urgentapplication 116B-D respectively. In general, urgent application 116B-Dcan generate a user interface having one or more graphical icons theuser can interact with and operate an incentive system based upon userawards for various degrees of participation in relaying an urgentcommunication to a second party. For example, urgent application 116Dcan include graphical icons that, when selected, can enable a user torespond to an urgent message, display an account balance, redeem theaccount balance, etc. as described in greater detail with regard to FIG.6.

In one embodiment, urgent application 116B-D also operates an incentivesystem based upon user awarded points for various degrees of userparticipation in relaying an urgent communication to a second party.User participation that is awarded points can include, but is notlimited to, the user installing urgent application 116B-D respectivelyonto mobile device 104, unavailable device 106, and responder device108; the user installing urgent application 116B-D onto the social mediaplatform utilized by the user; the user participating as a potentialresponder by allowing urgent application 116B-D to operate passively onmobile device 104, unavailable device 106, and responder device 108,wherein passive operation is when a) the user is not activelyinteracting with urgent application 116B-D, b) the device that serves asresponder device 108 is registered among a list of application usersstored on database 114, and c) the device is available to receive analert issued by mobile device 104 other than the device itself; and theuser participates as a responder for successfully relaying an urgentcommunication to a second party. In a further embodiment, points accruedby a user can then be used to purchase discount offers for sponsoredgoods and services. In alternative embodiment, urgent application 116B-Doperates an incentive system based upon a microtransaction system wherea first party pays a service to a responder for various degrees of userparticipation.

Network 110 can be, for example, a telecommunications network, a localarea network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), such as the Internet, ora combination of the three, and can include wired, wireless, or fiberoptic connections. Network 110 can include one or more wired and/orwireless networks that are capable of receiving and transmitting data,voice, and/or video signals, including multimedia signals that includevoice, data, and video information. In general, network 110 can be anycombination of connections and protocols that will supportcommunications among server computer 102, mobile device 104, unavailabledevice 106, responder device 108, and other computing devices (notshown) within communications environment 100.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart 200 depicting operational steps for delivering anurgent communication to an unavailable second party, in accordance withan embodiment of the present invention. For illustrative purposes, thefollowing discussion is made with respect to urgent program 112Aperforming the operational steps of flowchart 200, it being understoodthat any instance of the urgent program (e.g., urgent program 112A-D)can perform the operational steps of flowchart 200 to deliver an urgentcommunication to an unavailable second party.

In step 202, urgent program 112A determines a mutual communication linkwas not established between mobile device 104 and unavailable device106. In this embodiment, urgent program 112 determines a mutualcommunication link was not established by continuously monitoring theset of communication logs of mobile device 104 (with permission from auser of mobile device 104), and determining that unavailable device 106did not accept the communication, is unresponsive, or is unresponsiveafter a predetermined period of time. For example, a first party usesmobile device 104 to call unavailable device 106, but a second partydoes not answer the call on unavailable device 106, resulting in thefirst party ending the call by hanging up mobile device 104. Urgentprogram 112A monitors the call logs of mobile device 104, and determinesthat, since unavailable device 106 did not accept the call, a mutualcommunication link was not established. In another example, a firstparty uses mobile device 104 to send a text message to unavailabledevice 106, but unavailable device 106 does not provide to mobile device104 a read receipt confirming the second party received the text afterone hour has passed since mobile device 104 sent the message tounavailable device 106. Urgent program 112A monitors the message logs ofmobile device 104, and determines that, since mobile device 106 did notreceive the read receipt from unavailable device 106, a mutualcommunication link was not established.

In another embodiment, urgent program 112A determines a mutualcommunication link was not established by continuously monitoring a setof communication logs collected from a network service provider ofnetwork 110 (with permission of a user of mobile device 104), whereinthe set of communication logs are stored on database 114A. For example,a user uses mobile device 104 to attempts to call unavailable device106, but unavailable device 106 is outside the functional range ofnetwork 110 or is powered off. A network service provider of network 110receives the call from mobile device 104, but is unable to locateunavailable device 106 to establish a connection to relay the call. Thenetwork service provider records a communication log to database 114Acorresponding to the received call, wherein urgent program 112Adetermines from the communication log a mutual communication link wasnot established.

In instances where a mutual communication link is established, urgentprogram 112A records the mutual communication link and records acommunication log to database 114 corresponding to communication (e.g.,the received call and/or otherwise responded to communication). Forexample, where a communication link is established (e.g., via a receivedphone call), urgent program 112B can record the received phone call intoa communication log stored in database 114B for the parties involvedwith the phone call (e.g., the devices associated with the call and thedevices respective users).

In step 204, urgent program 112A determines a communication is urgent.In this embodiment, urgent program 112A determines a communication isurgent by acquiring the set of communication logs between mobile device104 and unavailable device 106, determining whether a communication is“normal” or “abnormal”, and flagging the communication received as an“abnormal” communication. As used herein, a communication that is normalis a communication that is made within a time window of a communicationpattern, based, at least in part, on the set of communication logs.Likewise, a communication that is abnormal is a communication that ismade outside a time window of a communication pattern as described ingreater detail with regard to FIG. 3, flowchart 300.

In step 206, urgent program 112A estimates a set of possible locationswhere unavailable device 106 is located. In this embodiment, urgentprogram 112A estimates a set of possible locations where unavailabledevice 106 is located by acquiring a coordinate of position determinedby a global positioning system (GPS) operational on unavailable device106, or by acquiring an approximate coordinate of position determined bycellular tower triangulation.

In another embodiment, urgent program 112A estimates a set of possiblelocations where unavailable device 106 is located by analyzing recentcheck-ins on social media platforms that detail a recent location of thesecond party. For example, a second party announces on a social mediaplatform that the second party is currently at a gym. Several hourslater, unavailable device 106 receives a call, but the second partyfails to answer. Urgent program 112B determines the call is an urgentcommunication, and proceeds to estimate a set of possible locationswhere unavailable device 106 is located. Urgent program 112B checks thesocial media platform of the second party, finds the check-in of thesecond party stating the second party is at the gym, and selects thelocation of the gym as a location for the set of possible locations.

In another embodiment, urgent program 112 estimates a set of locationsby analyzing travel patterns recorded by unavailable device 106. Forexample, a second party enables unavailable device 106 to log travelpatterns onto database 114A. Later, unavailable device 106 receives acall, but the second party fails to answer. Urgent program 112Adetermines the call is an urgent communication, and proceeds to estimatea set of locations where unavailable device 106 is located. Urgentprogram 112A acquires travel patterns from database 114A, and determinesthat the second party typically spends his time at gym at the time whenthe urgent communication was received. Urgent program 112A selects thelocation of the gym as a location for the set of possible locations.

In another embodiment, urgent program 112A estimates a set of locationsby identifying the second party by using facial recognition software.For example, a building with a surveillance system can allow continuousor periodic transmission of recorded footage access for urgent program112A, and is installed with a facial recognition software, such that ifurgent program 112A detects the second party by using facial recognitionsoftware, urgent program 112A sets the location of the building as alocation in the set of possible locations.

In a further embodiment, urgent program 112A can repeat any of theaforementioned embodiments to determine a location of a set of possiblelocations of unavailable device 106, in order to identify otherlocations to be used as part of the set of locations.

In step 208, urgent program 112A determines a set of potentialresponders. In this embodiment, urgent program 112A determines a set ofpotential responders by acquiring a list of application users who have apotential responder application installed on responder device 108 or onsocial media platform of the application users, selecting the list ofapplication users who are within a range of the set of locations, andassigning the selected list of application users as the set of potentialresponders as described in greater detail with regard to FIG. 4,flowchart 400. For example, urgent program 112B can identify five userswithin a range of the estimated location of the unavailable device 106as potential responders of the set of potential responders. In anotherexample, urgent program 112B can also access social media platforms ofthe user of the unavailable device 106, and selects users connected withthe user of the unavailable device 106 as potential responders of theset of potential responders.

In step 210, urgent program 112A generates a potential respondernotification to the set of potential responders. In this embodiment,urgent program 112A generates a potential responder notification bysending the potential responder notification from server computer 102,through network 110, to a set of responder device 108 corresponding tothe set of potential responders. A potential responder notificationcontains information enabling the potential responder to identify thesecond party and to relay a basic description of the urgentcommunication to the second party, and can include, but is not limitedto, an image of the second party to locate, information regarding thefirst party (e.g., name of the first party, the relation between thefirst and second party, contact information of the first party), anabstract of the urgent communication (e.g., “phone rang ten times infive minutes from a single number”, “text message: help me; flat tire”),and metadata regarding the urgent communication.

In step 212, urgent program 112A determines whether the urgentcommunication was received. In this embodiment, urgent program 112Adetermines whether the urgent communication was received by the secondparty by periodically monitoring a confirmation status after a period oftime, wherein the confirmation status is based upon a user selectioninputted using mobile device 104, unavailable device 106, or both. Aperiod of time is a predetermined unit of time (e.g., 15 minutes, 30minutes, 1 hour, etc.) measured after issuing the alert to the set ofpotential responders that, upon expiration of the period of time,triggers urgent program 112A to check the confirmation status. Forexample, urgent program 112B issues an alert to a set of potentialresponders. After a period of time of 15 minutes, urgent program 112Bchecks the confirmation status. A confirmation status has two states: a)not confirmed, wherein neither the first or second party has confirmedthe urgent communication was received; and b) confirmed, wherein eitherthe first party, second party, or both parties has confirmed on mobiledevice 104 or unavailable device 106 that the urgent communication wasreceived.

If, in step 212, urgent program 112A determines that the urgentcommunication was not received, urgent program 112 increases the rangein order to redetermine a set of potential responders (step 214). Inthis embodiment, urgent program 112 increases the range in proximity tounavailable device 106. For example, urgent program 112B issues an alertto a set of potential responders. In the event the first party, secondparty, or both parties confirm on either mobile device 104 orunavailable device 106 within the period of time that the urgentcommunication was received by the second party, urgent program 112Bdetermines confirmation after the period of time has expired by checkingthe confirmation status, determines the confirmation status isconfirmed, and urgent program 112B ends. In the event the first party,second party, or both parties confirm on either mobile device 104 orunavailable device 106 within the period of time that the urgentcommunication was received by the second party, urgent program 112Bdetermines confirmation after the period of time has expired, determinesthe urgent communication was received, and then ends. In the eventeither the first party or the second party do not confirm on eithermobile device 104 or unavailable device 106 within the period of timethat the urgent communication was received by the second party, urgentprogram 112B determines confirmation after the period of time hasexpired, determines that the urgent communication was not received, andthen proceeds to increase the range for redetermining a set of potentialresponders.

In step 214, responsive to determining that the urgent communication wasnot received, urgent program 112A increases the range for redetermininga set of potential responders. In this embodiment, urgent program 112Aincreases the range by adding an increment of distance to the range, andthen proceeds to determine a set of potential responders based upon therange (step 208). For example, urgent program 112B determines a set ofpotential responders based upon a range of 50 meters, and issues analert to the set of potential responders. In this example, neither thefirst party or second party confirm the urgent communication wasreceived by the second party after a period of time after issuing thealert to the set of potential responders. Urgent program 112B can thenincrease the range by 50 meters, thus making a range of 100 meters forthe urgent communication, and stores the range on database 114B. Then,urgent program 112B determines a set of potential responders based uponthe range of 100 meters, and issues an alert to the set of potentialresponders. This process of urgent program 112 adding an increment ofdistance to the range after every period of time the confirmation statusremains unconfirmed (i.e., that urgent communication was not received)effectively increases the set of potential responders in order toincrease the possibility of one of the potential responders locating thesecond party.

If, in step 212, urgent program 112A determines that the urgentcommunication was received urgent program 112A ends. Accordingly, byperforming the operational steps of flowchart 200, a user of anunavailable device can be otherwise reached and notified of an urgentcommunication without the aid of the user's device. Urgent program 112Acan then transmit a notification to urgent application 116 to awardpoints to the user who responded to the urgent communication, asdescribed in greater detail with regard to FIG. 5.

FIG. 3 is flowchart 300 depicting operational steps of determining anurgent communication, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention.

In step 302, urgent program 112 acquires a set of communication logs. Inthis embodiment, urgent program 112 acquires a set of communication logsby accessing the set of communications logs between mobile device 104and unavailable device 106 from database 114. For example, urgentprogram 112B acquires the call logs and text message logs that wererecorded between mobile device 104 and unavailable device 106 byaccessing database 114B where the call logs and text messages logs arestored. In another embodiment, urgent program 112 can acquire a set ofcommunication logs from other databases (not shown) to analyzecommunication patterns. For example, urgent program 112B can requestaccess to, and subsequently be given permission to access, otherelectronic based communication logs (e.g., web based services that offeraudio, visual, and text messaging features). In further embodiments,urgent program 112 can link accounts of respective users acrossdifferent platforms of communications. For example, urgent program 112Bcan link web based messaging services accounts of a user to the user'smobile device and analyze a communication pattern between all of theuser's accounts.

In step 304, urgent program 112 determines a communication pattern. Inthis embodiment, urgent program 112 determines a communication patternby using a time series analysis of the set of communication logs todetermine a normal pattern of communication. The time series analysiscan be, but is not limited to, a k-nearest neighbor calculation, astandard deviation calculation, a clustering of communication times, orany combination listed thereof. A normal pattern is a time window based,at least in part, on the time series analysis of the set ofcommunication logs that, when mobile device 104 sends a communicationwithin the time window, the communication is designated as a “normal”communication. Likewise, when mobile device 104 sends a communicationoutside the time window, the communication is designated as an“abnormal” communication. For example, mobile device 104 sendscommunications to unavailable device 106 generally during businesshours. Urgent program 112B acquires the set of communication logs ofmobile device 104, and uses a time series analysis of the set ofcommunication logs to determine that a normal pattern of communicationbetween mobile device 104 and unavailable device 106 has a time windowduring business hours.

In step 306, urgent program 112 determines a communication status of thecommunication. In this embodiment, urgent program 112 determines acommunication status of the communication sent by mobile device 104 bychecking the communication against the communication pattern todetermine if the communication is “normal” or “abnormal”. If urgentprogram 112 determines the communication status of the communication is“abnormal”, then urgent program 112 deems the communication an urgentcommunication. For example, after business hours have ended, mobiledevice 104 attempts to call unavailable device 106, but a mutualcommunication link is not established. Urgent program 112B determinesthat a normal pattern of communication between mobile device 104 andunavailable device 106 has a time window during business hours. Urgentprogram 112B checks the communication against the communication pattern,determines the communication was made outside of business hours and issubsequently “abnormal”, then deems the communication as an urgentcommunication.

In another embodiment, urgent program 112 determines a communicationstatus of the communication by using a text analysis of thecommunication, wherein the text analysis of the communication can be ananalysis that monitors for keywords and/or phrases in the communicationthat are predetermined to be an urgent communication. Examples of textanalysis can include natural language processing (e.g., sentencesplitting, tokenization, POS tagging, chunking, dependency parsing, andanaphora resolution, etc.) to process the semantics of the text. Forexample, urgent program 112B has predetermined that “help me” and “whereare you?” are keywords and phrases that are an urgent communication.Mobile device 104 sends a text message to unavailable device 106containing the phrase “where are you?”, but unavailable device 106 doesnot send a read receipt of the text message after an hour has passedsince the text was sent. Urgent program 112B determines that a mutualcommunication link was not established, performs a text analysis of thetext message, detects the phrase “where are you?”, and deems the textmessage an urgent communication. In other embodiments, urgent program112 provides a capability to the user to add to a list of predeterminedwords and/or phrases that help designate a communication as “urgent”.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart 400 depicting operational steps of determining aset of potential responders, in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention.

In step 402, urgent program 112 acquires a list of application users. Inthis embodiment, urgent program 112 acquires a list of application usersby accessing the list of application users stored on database 114,wherein the list of application users contains, at least, contactinformation of responder device 108 and the current location ofresponder device 108. For example, a set of application users who wishto participate as a potential responder in assisting in relaying anurgent communication to a second party register responder device 108 ofan application user, and subsequently have contact information of theapplication user stored on database 114A as part of a list ofapplication users. While responder device 108 is active, a currentlocation of responder device 108 is also stored on database 114A. Then,in the event urgent program 112 determines a communication is urgent andhas estimated a location of an unavailable device, urgent program 112Bacquires the list of application users from database 114A.

In step 404, urgent program 112 acquires a range. In this embodiment,urgent program 112 acquires a range by acquiring the range stored ondatabase 114. For example, for an urgent communication, database 114Bhas stored a range of 100 meters. Urgent program 112B acquires the rangeof 100 meters. In another embodiment, if urgent program 112 cannotacquire a range from database 114 for an urgent communication becausethe range is not stored on database 114, then urgent program 112acquires a default range from database 114 and stores it as the rangecorresponding to the urgent communication. For example, urgent program112B determines a communication is urgent and attempts, for the firsttime, to determine a set of potential responders for the urgentcommunication. Since this is the first attempt that urgent program 112Btries to find a responder, a range has not yet been stored on database114B corresponding to the urgent communication. Urgent program 112Bdetermines the range is not stored on database 114B, acquires a defaultrange of 50 meters from database 114B, and stores 50 meters as the rangecorresponding to the urgent communication on database 114B.

In step 406, urgent program 112 selects a set of potential responders.In this embodiment, urgent program 112 selects a set of potentialresponders by selecting a set of application users from the list ofapplication users that are at or within the range of a set of locationsestimated as the location of unavailable device 106. For example, a listof application users includes users A, B, and C. Urgent program 112Bacquires the list of application users and current locations of theapplication users. Urgent program 112B estimates that the location ofunavailable device 106 is 25 meters from user A, 50 meters from user B,and 100 meters from user C. Urgent program 112B also acquires a range of50 meters from database 114B. Urgent program 112 selects user A and userB as the set of potential responders since user A and user B are at orwithin the range of 50 meters, but not user C who is greater than 50meters from the location of unavailable device 106.

In yet other embodiments, urgent program 112 can select a set ofpotential responders without regard to the range of the set of estimatedlocations for unavailable device 106. In those embodiments, urgentprogram 112 can rely on the user's social media platforms to identifypotential responders. For example, urgent program 112B can identify fromthe user's social media platforms that person A is a friend thatinteracts regularly with the user. In this embodiment, urgent program112 identifies that person A interacts regularly by scanning through theuser's social media web page and identifying a list of writtencommunication between the user and person A as well as photographs ofperson A and the user. Urgent program 112 can then compare thoseinstances of interactions between person A and the user to apre-determined threshold that indicates a level of closeness between thetwo. Responsive to identifying that the interactions between person Aand the user are above the threshold, urgent program 112 can thenidentify that person A is a “close friend” to the user. In thesesituations, urgent program 112 can then choose to select person A as thepotential responder that has the highest chance of establishingcommunication with the user (who is now unavailable) as opposed to thepotential responders within the range of a set of locations estimated asthe location of unavailable device 106. In yet other embodiments urgentprogram 112 can choose to select any number of possible combinationsbetween the user's social media connections and potential responderswithin the range of the set of locations estimated as the location ofunavailable device 106.

FIG. 5 is an example screen shot of an interactive graphical userinterface 500 for an urgent application 116, in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention.

In general, interactive graphical user interface 500 includes one ormore graphical icons, one or more interactive graphical icons, and textinput fields that are viewable to the user, and allows the user tointeract with urgent program 112. For example, interactive graphicaluser interface 500 can display an indication of accrued points whichdisplays the total number of accrued points awarded to the user forvarying degrees of participation. In this example, text field 502displays accrued points. In another example, interactive graphical userinterface 500 can display an interactive icon that allows a user toselect a method of spending accrued points. In this example, interactiveicon 504 opens a list of various methods a user can spend accruedpoints. In another example, interactive graphical user interface 500 candisplay an indication of an account balance of the user. In thisexample, text field 506 displays the account balance of the user. Inanother example, interactive graphical user interface 500 can display aninteractive icon that allows a user to deposit or withdrawal funds intothe account of the user. In this example, interactive icon 508 opens amenu that allows the user to deposit or withdrawal funds.

In another embodiment, interactive graphical user interface 500 displaysa series of urgent message indicators, interactive icons, andinteractive text fields pertaining to an urgent message status. Forexample, interactive graphical user interface 500 can display adesignated identification title for an urgent communication. In thisexample, text field 510 displays the title of an urgent communicationtitled “phone call 2:00 am to person X”. In another example, graphicaluser interface 500 can display an interactive text field that allows afirst party to input a custom message to be included as part of apotential responder notification. In this example, interactive textfield 512 is an interactive text field for a custom message. In anotherexample, interactive graphical user interface 500 can display a textfield and icon that display default details for identifying a secondparty, such as the name of the second party and a photograph of thesecond party. In this example, text field and icon 514 displays defaultdetails of a second party. In another example, interactive graphicaluser interface 500 can display details pertaining to the reason why acommunication was deemed as an urgent communication (e.g., “phone rang10 times in 5 minutes from a single number”, “text message contains‘help, flat tire’”). In this example, text field 516 displays details ofan urgent communication. In another example, interactive graphical userinterface 500 can display a range currently being utilized by urgentprogram 112 in issuing a potential responder notification to a set ofpotential responders. In this example, text field 518 displays a range.In another example, graphical user interface 500 can display timeremaining until a period of time expires that further signifies when aset of potential responders will be updated based upon an incrementalincrease in a range triggered in step 212. In this example, text field520 displays an amount of time until a period of time expires. Inanother example, interactive graphical user interface 500 can display astatus identifying whether the second party has received the urgentcommunication or not. In this example, text field 522 displays aconfirmation status. In another example, interactive graphical userinterface 500 can display an interactive icon that allows a first partyand/or a second party to confirm the second party received the urgentcommunication, where then the user is subsequently prompted to identifya responder among a set of potential responders that assisted inrelaying the urgent communication. In this example, interactive icon 524allows a first and/or a second party to confirm the urgent communicationwas received. In another example, interactive graphical user interface500 can display an interactive icon that allows a first party to cancelan attempt made by urgent program 112 to relay an urgent message to asecond party. In this example, interactive icon 526 allows a first partyto cancel urgent program 112 in relaying an urgent communication. In yetanother example, interactive graphical user interface 500 can display aninteractive icon that allows a user to alternate views of otherpotential responder notifications corresponding to other urgentcommunications. In this example, interactive icon 528 allows a user toselect a potential responder notification to view.

FIG. 6 depicts a block diagram of components of the computing systems600 of FIG. 1, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention. It should be appreciated that FIG. 6 provides only anillustration of one implementation and does not imply any limitationswith regard to the environments in which different embodiments can beimplemented. Many modifications to the depicted environment can be made.

The programs described herein are identified based upon the applicationfor which they are implemented in a specific embodiment of theinvention. However, it should be appreciated that any particular programnomenclature herein is used merely for convenience, and thus theinvention should not be limited to use solely in any specificapplication identified and/or implied by such nomenclature.

Computing systems 600 includes communications fabric 602, which providescommunications between cache 616, memory 606, persistent storage 608,communications unit 610, and input/output (I/O) interface(s) 612.Communications fabric 602 can be implemented with any architecturedesigned for passing data and/or control information between processors(such as microprocessors, communications and network processors, etc.),system memory, peripheral devices, and any other hardware componentswithin a system. For example, communications fabric 602 can beimplemented with one or more buses or a crossbar switch.

Memory 606 and persistent storage 608 are computer readable storagemedia. In this embodiment, memory 606 includes random access memory(RAM). In general, memory 606 can include any suitable volatile ornon-volatile computer readable storage media. Cache 616 is a fast memorythat enhances the performance of computer processor(s) 604 by holdingrecently accessed data, and data near accessed data, from memory 606.

Urgent application 116 and urgent program 112 may be stored inpersistent storage 608 and in memory 606 for execution by one or more ofthe respective computer processors 604 via cache 616. In an embodiment,persistent storage 608 includes a magnetic hard disk drive.Alternatively, or in addition to a magnetic hard disk drive, persistentstorage 608 can include a solid state hard drive, a semiconductorstorage device, read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-onlymemory (EPROM), flash memory, or any other computer readable storagemedia that is capable of storing program instructions or digitalinformation.

The media used by persistent storage 608 may also be removable. Forexample, a removable hard drive may be used for persistent storage 608.Other examples include optical and magnetic disks, thumb drives, andsmart cards that are inserted into a drive for transfer onto anothercomputer readable storage medium that is also part of persistent storage608.

Communications unit 610, in these examples, provides for communicationswith other data processing systems or devices. In these examples,communications unit 610 includes one or more network interface cards.Communications unit 610 may provide communications through the use ofeither or both physical and wireless communications links. Urgentapplication 116 and urgent program 112 may be downloaded to persistentstorage 608 through communications unit 610.

I/O interface(s) 612 allows for input and output of data with otherdevices that may be connected to server computer 102. For example, I/Ointerface 612 may provide a connection to external devices 618 such as akeyboard, keypad, a touch screen, and/or some other suitable inputdevice. External devices 618 can also include portable computer readablestorage media such as, for example, thumb drives, portable optical ormagnetic disks, and memory cards. Software and data used to practiceembodiments of the present invention, e.g., Urgent application 116 andurgent program 112, can be stored on such portable computer readablestorage media and can be loaded onto persistent storage 608 via I/Ointerface(s) 612. I/O interface(s) 612 also connect to a display 620.

Display 620 provides a mechanism to display data to a user and may be,for example, a computer monitor.

The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a computerprogram product. The computer program product may include a computerreadable storage medium (or media) having computer readable programinstructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects of thepresent invention.

The computer readable storage medium can be any tangible device that canretain and store instructions for use by an instruction executiondevice. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but isnot limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device,an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD),a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such aspunch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructionsrecorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Acomputer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construedas being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freelypropagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagatingthrough a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulsespassing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmittedthrough a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computerreadable storage medium or to an external computer or external storagedevice via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, awide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprisecopper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wirelesstransmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/oredge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer readable programinstructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations ofthe present invention may be assembler instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, or either source code or object code written in anycombination of one or more programming languages, including an objectoriented programming language such as Smalltalk, C++ or the like, andconventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C”programming language or similar programming languages. The computerreadable program instructions may execute entirely on the user'scomputer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone softwarepackage, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computeror entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario,the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through anytype of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide areanetwork (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer(for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including, for example,programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), orprogrammable logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readableprogram instructions by utilizing state information of the computerreadable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry,in order to perform aspects of the present invention.

Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer readable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, suchthat the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computeror other programmable data processing apparatus, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructionsmay also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can directa computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or otherdevices to function in a particular manner, such that the computerreadable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises anarticle of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects ofthe function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram blockor blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other deviceto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods, and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, a segment, or aportion of instructions, which comprises one or more executableinstructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). In somealternative implementations, the functions noted in the blocks may occurout of the order noted in the Figures. For example, two blocks shown insuccession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or theblocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending uponthe functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of theblock diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocksin the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implementedby special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specifiedfunctions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardwareand computer instructions.

The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present inventionhave been presented for purposes of illustration, but are not intendedto be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Manymodifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skillin the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.The terminology used herein was chosen to best explain the principles ofthe embodiment, the practical application or technical improvement overtechnologies found in the marketplace, or to enable others of ordinaryskill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method comprising:determining a mutual communication link was not established for acommunication between a first electronic device and a second electronicdevice, wherein the first electronic device is associated with a firstuser and the second electronic device is associated with a second user;determining the communication between the first electronic device andthe second electronic device is abnormal; estimating a set of possiblelocations for the second electronic device; and determining a set ofpotential responders to alert the second user based on: (i) the set ofpossible locations for the second electronic device and (ii) identifyingrespective users whose interactions with the second user exceed apredetermined threshold for interactions.
 2. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 1, further comprising: generating a notification for theset of potential responders that comprises, a date of the communication,a time that the communication was sent, identification credentials forthe second user, and a custom message that the first user includes for apotential responder of the set of potential responders to deliver to thesecond user and additional identification information regarding thesecond user.
 3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, furthercomprising: sending the notification to the set of potential responders;and determining that the custom message was received by the second user.4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising:responsive to determining that the custom message was not received bythe second user, increasing a range in proximity to the secondelectronic device that is used to determine a new set of potentialresponders; determining the new set of potential responders based on theincreased range in proximity to the second electronic device; andsending the notification to the new set of potential responders.
 5. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining thecommunication between the first electronic device and the secondelectronic device is abnormal includes: accessing communication logsbetween the first user and the second user; determining a communicationpattern between the first user and the second user using the accessedcommunication logs; and identifying the communication as an abnormalcommunication based upon the determined communication pattern.
 6. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein identifying respectiveusers whose interactions with the second user exceed a predeterminedthreshold for interactions includes: accessing the second user's socialmedia accounts; identifying users linked to the second user's socialmedia accounts; identifying respective interactions between the seconduser and each of the users linked to the second user's social mediaaccounts; and comparing each of the users identified interactions withthe second user against a predetermined threshold for interactions. 7.The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining a set ofpotential responders to alert the second user based on the set ofpossible locations for the second electronic device includes: retrievinga range within a proximity of the second electronic device; andselecting users within the range as the set of potential responders toalert the second user.
 8. A computer program product comprising: one ormore computer readable storage media and program instructions stored onthe one or more computer readable storage media, the programinstructions comprising instructions to: determine a mutualcommunication link was not established for a communication between afirst electronic device and a second electronic device, wherein thefirst electronic device is associated with a first user and the secondelectronic device is associated with a second user; determine thecommunication between the first electronic device and the secondelectronic device is abnormal; estimate a set of possible locations forthe second electronic device; and determine a set of potentialresponders to alert the second user based on: (i) the set of possiblelocations for the second electronic device and (ii) identifyingrespective users whose interactions with the second user exceed apredetermined threshold for interactions.
 9. The computer programproduct of claim 8, further comprising instructions to: generate anotification for the set of potential responders that comprises, a dateof the communication, a time that the communication was sent,identification credentials for the second user, and a custom messagethat the first user includes for a potential responder of the set ofpotential responders to deliver to the second user and additionalidentification information regarding the second user.
 10. The computerprogram product of claim 9, further comprising instructions to: send thenotification to the set of potential responders; and determine that thecustom message was received by the second user.
 11. The computer programproduct of claim 9, further comprising instructions to: responsive todetermining that the custom message was not received by the second user,increase a range in proximity to the second electronic device that isused to determine a new set of potential responders; determine the newset of potential responders based on the increased range in proximity tothe second electronic device; and send the notification to the new setof potential responders.
 12. The computer program product of claim 8,wherein the instructions to determine the communication between thefirst electronic device and the second electronic device is abnormalincludes instructions to: access communication logs between the firstuser and the second user; determine a communication pattern between thefirst user and the second user using the accessed communication logs;and identify the communication as an abnormal communication based uponthe determined communication pattern.
 13. The computer program productof claim 8, wherein the instructions to identify respective users whoseinteractions with the second user exceed a predetermined threshold forinteractions includes instructions to: access the second user's socialmedia accounts; identify users linked to the second user's social mediaaccounts; identify respective interactions between the second user andeach of the users linked to the second user's social media accounts; andcompare each of the users identified interactions with the second useragainst a predetermined threshold for interactions.
 14. The computerprogram product of claim 8, wherein the instructions to determine a setof potential responders to alert the second user based on the set ofpossible locations for the second electronic device includesinstructions to: retrieve a range within a proximity of the secondelectronic device; and select users within the range as the set ofpotential responders to alert the second user.
 15. A computer systemcomprising: one or more computer processors; one or more computerreadable storage media; and program instructions stored on the one ormore computer readable storage media for execution by at least one ofthe one or more processors, the program instructions comprisinginstructions to: determine a mutual communication link was notestablished for a communication between a first electronic device and asecond electronic device, wherein the first electronic device isassociated with a first user and the second electronic device isassociated with a second user; determine the communication between thefirst electronic device and the second electronic device is abnormal;estimate a set of possible locations for the second electronic device;and determine a set of potential responders to alert the second userbased on: (i) the set of possible locations for the second electronicdevice and (ii) identifying respective users whose interactions with thesecond user exceed a predetermined threshold for interactions.
 16. Thecomputer system of claim 15, further comprising instructions to:generate a notification for the set of potential responders thatcomprises, a date of the communication, a time that the communicationwas sent, identification credentials for the second user, and a custommessage that the first user includes for a potential responder of theset of potential responders to deliver to the second user and additionalidentification information regarding the second user.
 17. The computersystem of claim 16, further comprising instructions to: send thenotification to the set of potential responders; and determine that thecustom message was received by the second user.
 18. The computer systemof claim 16, further comprising instructions to: responsive todetermining that the custom message was not received by the second user,increase a range in proximity to the second electronic device that isused to determine a new set of potential responders; determine the newset of potential responders based on the increased range in proximity tothe second electronic device; and send the notification to the new setof potential responders.
 19. The computer system of claim 15, whereinthe instructions to determine the communication between the firstelectronic device and the second electronic device is abnormal includesinstructions to: access communication logs between the first user andthe second user; determine a communication pattern between the firstuser and the second user using the accessed communication logs; andidentify the communication as an abnormal communication based upon thedetermined communication pattern.
 20. The computer system of claim 15,wherein the instructions to identify respective users whose interactionswith the second user exceed a predetermined threshold for interactionsincludes instructions to: access the second user's social mediaaccounts; identify users linked to the second user's social mediaaccounts; identify respective interactions between the second user andeach of the users linked to the second user's social media accounts; andcompare each of the users identified interactions with the second useragainst a predetermined threshold for interactions.